World Day Against Child Labour: FIDA Badagry Demands Stronger Enforcement, National Reforms

FunmiOgundare

As the global community commemorates World Day Against Child Labour, the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Badagry Branch, has called for immediate, multi-sectoral action by government, civil society, private sector, and international partners to strengthen enforcement of existing laws, prosecute violators and adopt national policies that will address poverty and social inequality.

 Lady Edith Uduji, Chairperson of FIDA Nigeria Badagry Branch, who made this known in a statement, stressed the need to ensure universal, barrier-free access to quality education, increased public awareness about the dangers and illegality of child labour, as well as expansion of the economic support programs for vulnerable families to reduce dependency on child income.

“The continued use of children for labour is a national crisis that demands urgent and coordinated action. These children are being denied their basic rights to education, protection and to a future,” she stated.

This year’s theme – ‘Progress is Clear, But There’s More to Do: Let’s Speed up Efforts’ – she noted, reflects both the progress achieved and the urgency to intensify action to meet global targets.

She stressed that while some progress has been made, the implementation and enforcement of child protection laws are critically weak, especially in informal sectors like agriculture and domestic work where children are often invisible to legal oversight.

Despite a comprehensive set of national laws and international treaties aimed at eradicating child labour, Uduji noted millions of Nigerian children remain trapped in exploitative and hazardous work.

She said enforcement mechanisms are deeply flawed, while expressing concern that legal protections often do not reach the most vulnerable children due to severe shortage of trained labour inspectors, weak institutional capacity in rural and informal areas, cultural acceptance of child work and absence of birth registration and identity documentation.

“Eliminating child labour is not optional, it is both a legal obligation and a moral imperative.  Nigeria must act decisively by ensuring that justice for children must begin with the law.

“The future of our nation depends on protecting the children today, “ the chairperson stressed.